Charnley and Tautai to miss derby and Cup semi

Tom McCooey

Wigan will be without winger Josh Charnley and forward Taulima Tautai for their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final after they were given two-match bans.

Charnley received his suspension after admitting making deliberate physical contact with a match official during his side’s 18-16 Super League defeat at Leeds last Friday.

The Sale-bound former England international was seen grabbing the shoulder of match referee Robert Hicks to catch his attention while protesting a decision to deny him a try.

Tautai denied a charge of making dangerous contact on Leeds forward Adam Cuthbertson in the same game but was found guilty by a Rugby Football League disciplinary tribunal at a hearing in Leeds on Tuesday evening.

The former Wakefield back-rower was accused of attacking the legs of Cuthbertson as he was being held in a two-man tackle and in a vulnerable position.

Like Charnley, he was handed a two-match ban and a £300 fine.

Both decisions were announced by the RFL on its Twitter account, which stated: “.@Joshuacharnley pleads guilty to Grade C contact with a match official. Two-match ban and a £300 fine. Talima Tautai pleads not guilty of Grade B dangerous contact. Found guilty, received two-match ban and £300 fine.”

They will start their suspensions when Wigan play St Helens in the final round of the regular season on Friday and also sit out the cup tie with Hull in Doncaster a week later.